Exhibition and F.AVE Finale Information

The big day is tomorrow; please see below for the details.

F.AVE Finale

Please carpool or walk; parking will be a challenge.

Classes will begin entering the multi-purpose room at 8:30am.  Families should arrive before then to park and get their seats.

Location: Multi-Purpose room

Luncheon

Time:  11:20am-12:50pm

Location:  Falcon's Nest

Exhibition

9:30am - 10:15am

Fortson 4H Center

We had a blast today!  Each group had a pond ecology and team building class.  The group I chaperoned was very well behaved and the counselors made my job very easy.  They had some amenities that the Tybee 4H center didn't including a baseball field, obstacle course activities, and a petting zoo.

Thank you to all of the parents who picked up their children on time.  That's greatly appreciated after an eventful day.

Wednesday, May 21st

Today students focused on their Exhibition projects and we had another F.AVE Finale rehearsal.  Tomorrow we'll have our field trip at the Fortson 4-H center.  Please make sure you return the form we sent home today about how your child will get home tomorrow when we arrive back at the school around 3:30pm.

Tuesday, May 20th

Today we had our first F.AVE Finale rehearsal and I met with my homeroom to begin their Budget Simulation.  We worked on Exhibition in the afternoon and at the end of the day, we had additional song practice.  The students needed some additional help singing clearly and loudly.  Additionally, some were being silly during the rehearsal and Ms. McFaddin and I talked to them about the importance of the Moving Forward Ceremony. 

Homework:  Students should watch the Budget, Banking, and Taxes BrainPop videos before Friday.  They need to be able to discuss the important facts from each.  They should also continue working on their President Projects at home.  I saw many students reading the documents I provided so I know that many of them are already on track. 

Some students were able to show leadership by singing the IB song for students who never learned, or had forgotten the lyrics.

Monday, May 19th

Today we had our Renfroe Field trip.  While we were there the 6th graders answered questions, led tours, and performed skits for the 5th grade students.  They also were able to hear the award-winning 8th grade chorus and they received a tour of the building (one student described it as a 'labyrinth.')  Once we returned I began the Budget Simulation and we ended the day with Exhibition work.

Homework:   Students should work on their President Projects at home.  The project is due on the last day of school; however, because of the hectic schedule they will probably only get about an hour of individual work time between now and then.  They should also continue reading; the book challenge isn't over!

Reminder: Flexible Group Parent Survey

Parents, if you have not done so, please complete the Flex Group parent survey.  The overall number of responses is low so we need more parents to share their opinions.  Thank you.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5QQN535

Friday, May 17th

This weekend please visit "Lucas' Lemonade Stand for a Cure" Fundraiser THIS SATURDAY.  All money raised will be donated to Georgia PKU Connect which is a 501c3 non-profit. 

Lucas' Lemonade Stand for a Cure Fundraiser

Date:  Saturday, May 17th

Time:  11:30am-3:00pm

Where:  On the corner of Oakview Road and S. McDonough 

(across from the Oakhurst Community Garden)

Field Day

Thursday, May 16th

For field day tomorrow students should bring a bag (they could use their backpacks), a towel or blanket to sit on, and sunscreen (if necessary).  

Flexible Group Parent Survey

The following message is from the F.AVE IB coordinator, Karen Newton.  Please read below and click on the link to take the survey. 

++++++     +++++++    ++++++

Dear Families,

Thank you for your support and willingness to have your child be a part of the Flexible Classroom Project at F.AVE. Our initial goal in considering this model was to introduce between-class flexible grouping within the context of our IB units of inquiry.  We wanted to maintain the transdisciplinary nature of the IB programme while examining if teacher specialization in two content areas would positively impact student achievement.  As always, we want to be reflective about how well we have met these goals, as well as, the social and emotional needs of our students.  In doing so, we need specific information about how our pilot of flexible classrooms worked for you and your children.  Though we may have engaged in many informal conversations about the strengths and challenges of this model, we also desire to have a more formal way of collecting feedback to be used in our decision-making. Therefore, a survey has been developed that consists of 7 rated questions and 3 open-ended responses.  The survey will be available for you to complete until midnight May 26, 2014.  Please take about 5-10 minutes to give us your open and honest feedback. The link is below and if you have any questions, please feel free to let us know.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5QQN535

Field Day Update

We need donations of water and snacks for field day.  Please send in contributions by this Thursday.  

Thank you!

Monday, May 12th

Today we had our last day of MAP testing and students took their vocabulary tests.  We also discussed the rubric for their last narrative essay and students had some writing time today.  We continued reading in Son and we closed the day with working on Exhibition projects.

All Fifth Grade Families are Invited To

The F.AVE 5th Grade Finale Luncheon

May 28, 2014

10:50 AM - 12:00 PM

Adult Lunch $5.00; Children $2.50

Please bring cash (exact amount if possible)

Please RSVP by May 21st using this link.

We will be very busy over the next two weeks and three days with projects, field trips, and Exhibition.  The Civil Rights assessment is on Thursday and students should use their notes and hand outs to study the basic details about the following:

Montgomery Bus Boycott

MLK's "I Have A Dream" Speech

Civil Rights & Voting Rights Act

(They enforced desegregation laws and eliminated poll taxes & literacy tests)

Thurgood Marshall

Brown vs. Board of Education 

(it overturned Plessy vs. Ferguson and ordered schools to desegregate)

Segregation

MLK's "Letter from the Birmingham Jail"

The political, social, and religious differences between MLK and Malcolm X

(You will have to complete a Venn diagram and know three facts for each section.)

Click on the links to access BrainPop videos and articles.  

username: decaturga // password: decatur

Friday, May 9th

Thank you very much for all of the flowers and gifts for Teacher Appreciation Week.  They were quite beautiful and I'm thankful I have such thoughtful students and parents.  I know I am a tough teacher and I have very high expectations, so I know that I'm not the easiest to deal with.  However, at the end of this year, I have no doubt that I've done my best to prepare my students for the academic and social rigors of middle school.  That being said, thank you again...this has been a fun, entertaining, and endearing year.  

Today students finished their main idea/supporting evidence assessment and read two sections in the Social Studies textbook.  As I explained to the students, I'll be assessing them on the Civil Rights Movement next week and they'll be beginning their president project that covers the last social studies standard (American History 1975 to present).  So today they read the two sections and completed a request form with their own questions and wonderings about the late 1960s-70s.  As we end the year, I'll answer their questions about this important, but not assessed, time in history.

Students also had Explorations today and most reported back that they had a good time.  My own exploration, 'So you want to be a teacher?', was also quite entertaining since our small groups came up with the best and worst things about teaching after giving their presentations.  

After Explorations, students packed up and I read Son to both classes.  We are about 1/3 of the way through the book and I'm hoping to finish before the end of the year.Lastly, I postponed the vocabulary assessment until Monday so students have time to study the words on Quizlet over the weekend.  Also, they should continue to read; I'm quite proud of the many children who have already read multiple books.

Wednesday, May 7th

Today we finished analyzing Dr. King's "Letter from the Birmingham Jail."  Tomorrow I will be assessing students in standard ELACCRI8 (explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence supports which points.)  The notes we took today and yesterday are below.  Additionally, students had about 30 minutes of writing time to work on their favorite F.AVE memory memoir.  They will receive the rubric tomorrow and their stories are due next Friday (5/16).  We also continued reading Son.

If you get a chance, we could use more tissue.  We used up our supply, I've run out of places to pilfer unattended boxes, and we are still in the midst of this everlasting allergy season.

MAP testing

Both homerooms will be testing on Thursday (5/8), Friday (5/9), and Monday (5/12) at 9:15am.  Please make sure your child is well-rested and well-fed before coming to school.  

Thank You.

Cinco De Mayo (Monday, May 5th)

Today we continued reading Son and students had 20 minutes to do a peer review with a classmate.  Students who didn't finish their rough drafts over the weekend worked on their papers during this time.  The final drafts are due tomorrow at the beginning of each class.  

I gave students the vocabulary this week, so please visit the quizlet page to study.  This will be the last vocabulary list for the year and the assessment will be this Friday.  After the vocabulary, students had class time to read their personal books; many are excited about this term's reading challenge.  We concluded class with analyzing excerpts from Dr. King's "Letter from the Birmingham Jail."  We were able to examine parts of the letter through our IB central idea this term:  Sharing the Planet.  Students worked on identifying main ideas and supporting evidence in each paragraph.  Considering the advanced language of the text, I was pleased that students were able to grasp most of the concepts.

Click on the picture to get to the vocabulary on Quizlet.

Class notes from identifying the main idea of select paragraphs in Dr. King's "Letter from the Birmingham Jail"

AM class notes

PM class notes